Guigal Crôzes Hermitage 2015

As we tasted the 2015 Crozes Hermitage, Philippe Guigal said, "It's rare we get full phenolic ripeness in Crozes. We got that in 2015." The wine's silky tannins certainly support his claim. It's medium to full-bodied, with raspberry, cherry and black olive aromas and flavors that scream of the variety, and it has a long finish. It's an outstanding value and a wine that may be happily consumed anytime from now through 2025.

This handles the oak better than most. There’s dried straw, melon and lemons, in fresh form. The palate has a super-savory, pastry and biscuit edge, opening out to a long, smoothly rendered array of apples and pears. Spicy kick at the close. Great structure. Drink or hold.